The MTA’s hopes of offering limited Metro-North service at new stations in the East Bronx as soon as next year appear to be dwindling, officials confirmed Friday.
The regional transportation authority had floated the alternative last October as part of a plan to jump start Penn Station Access, the $2.9 billion megaproject to eventually extend the Metro-North Railroad west to Penn Station and to open four new commuter rail stations in East Bronx neighborhoods that have fewer mass transit options.
The overall project has been slowed by a series of disputes with Amtrak that have pushed its original completion date from 2027 to 2030, even as the MTA has pressed the federally funded passenger railroad to help make up for lost time.
The regional transportation authority last fall floated the idea of starting some East Bronx service by 2027, with the completion of construction of a new Parkchester/Van Nest station and the opening of temporary stations at Co-op City and Morris Park. Another planned station, at Hunts Point, would open at a later date.
“Here’s the real top priority, which is service to the Bronx, to the East Bronx, in 2027,” Jamie Torres-Springer, president of MTA Construction & Development, said in October while presenting the proposal for a “new, more aggressive set of solutions.”
But the odds of that happening seem to be slipping.
In a letter sent from five New York and Connecticut members of Congress to Amtrak President Roger Harris, the Amtrak president, reveals that the federally funded passenger railroad is unable “to accommodate the MTA’s previous plan for limited early service” and instead raises the possibility of beginning service by early 2029.
“The path to 2029 service for Penn Station Access is achievable, but only with the complete cooperation of Amtrak,” Rep. Ritchie Torres told THE CITY. “The time has come for Amtrak to rise to the occasion and ensure that New York and Connecticut taxpayers are not left holding the bill for delays they did not cause.”
The letter from Torres, fellow New York Democrats Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and George Latimer and Connecticut Democratic representatives Jim Himes and Rosa DeLauro calls on Amtrak to share the costs of construction delays associated with the project.
“We strongly urge Amtrak to address the potentially hundreds of millions of dollars the MTA has incurred due to delays caused by Amtrak,” the representatives wrote in the letter, which was provided to THE CITY. “These costs should not fall on New York State or Connecticut taxpayers.”
The potential for a 2029 opening comes as Amtrak said the two sides have developed “renewed momentum” and a “strengthened working relationship” in hopes of accelerating the extensive rehabilitation of a 11.5-mile stretch of Amtrak’s Hell Gate Line, which extends between Queens and New Rochelle in Westchester County.
In order to allow MTA contractors to do necessary work, Amtrak has been canceling a dozen high-speed Acela trips a week and modifying schedules for more than 20 trains during track outages. During the outages along the stretch of the line, Amtrak trains run along a single track.
“Together, we have identified practical ways to advance the project more efficiently, including Amtrak taking on additional work to help control costs and support progress,” said Jason Abrams, an Amtrak spokesperson. “We share MTA’s commitment to bringing Metro-North service to The Bronx as soon as possible.”
MTA officials have long been critical of Amtrak, describing Penn Station Access as a project that Torres-Springer said was “spiraling off in the wrong direction” from its earliest days due to a lack of cooperation. Groundbreaking for the project, which the MTA says will cut travel times from The Bronx to Manhattan by up to 50 minutes, was held in 2022.
“We can’t get work done and the people in Co-op City are waiting for a goddamn train, and it’s outrageous and it’s been a problem from the start of that project,” Janno Lieber, the MTA chairperson and chief executive, said in October.
Elected officials from two states added their voices to the chorus of criticism, saying commuters deserve to reap the benefits of Penn Station Access as soon as possible.
“We continue to pursue all viable paths to deliver Penn Station Access for Bronx riders as soon as possible,” said Aaron Donovan, an MTA spokesperson. “We appreciate the support of elected officials as we work with Amtrak to get it done.”
Manhattan-bound Metro-North trains currently terminate at Grand Central Terminal. The MTA’s other commuter rail line, the Long Island Rail Road, has terminals on Manhattan’s East Side and West Side, at Grand Central Madison and at its traditional hub at Penn Station.
“Metro-North is a vital connection that saves working families time and money on their daily commutes,” said DeLauro, who represents a New Haven-based district. “We must prioritize the work needed to get trains running by 2029 and stop passing the costs of delays onto New York and Connecticut taxpayers.”
As part of the Penn Station Access project, the MTA must acquire properties in The Bronx, Queens and Westchester County and has previously raised the possibility of using eminent domain to acquire privately owned land for public benefit.
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